Photo: Shahadat Rahman

The Danish State Prosecutor for Serious Economic and International Crime shuts down Denmark’s two largest illegal file-sharing networks

Dec 10, 2020 | Trials

10. December 2020

Two hotbeds for illegal sharing of Danish films, articles, e-books, and music have been shut down. After several years of investigation in collaboration with the Danish Rights Alliance, the Danish State Prosecutor for Serious Economic and International Crime has put an end to Denmark’s two largest illegal file-sharing networks, DanishBits and NordicBits.

In 2016 and 2018 respectively, the Danish Rights Alliance reported the file-sharing networks DanishBits and NordicBits for illegally publishing Danish films on the services before their official release date, in addition to sharing articles, e-books, and music – also without the consent of the rights holders.

After several years of thorough investigation in collaboration with the Danish Rights Alliance, the Danish State Prosecutor for Serious Economic and International Crime carried out a comprehensive international action against the perpetrators behind both DanishBits and NordicBits in September and October of this year. In effect, the action has resulted in the shutdown of the two largest illegal file-sharing networks in Denmark, and the arrest of the Danish main perpetrator behind DanishBits in Morocco.

For approx. 10 years DanishBits has functioned as a closed file-sharing network, where users have had access to masses of ​​illegal content in exchange for either helping to share the content with other users in the network or by paying for it with cryptocurrency. With its 2 million monthly visits, the service has been among the most visited websites in Denmark – more visited than both Trustpilot and HBO Nordic.

In the Danish Rights Alliance, it has been clear that DanishBits in particular has been a hotbed for illegal sharing of Danish-produced content. Among other things, the Danish Rights Alliance has registered that the vast majority of Danish films hit the illegal market on DanishBits before their official release, after which they spread to other illegal platforms. Big Danish movies like Ternet Ninja and Klovn the Final has been downloaded more than 30,000 times by users of DanishBits.

The IP-Taskforce has been paramount

The widespread illegal distribution of movies, articles, e-books and music poses a major problem for rights holders who lose both earnings and control of their products. Therefore, the director of the Danish Rights Alliance, Maria Fredenslund, considers the case a big win for not only rights holders, but also the IP-Taskforce under the Danish State Prosecutor for Serious Economic and International Crime:

“This type of case can only succeed because of the dedicated IP-Taskforce. Just a few years ago, no one would have taken on such a big and complex case, as it requires specialized skills to see it through. With the shutdown of these two networks, the root of illegal file-sharing in Denmark has been addressed. It will resonate with the users of these illegal services, and it will also be noticed by the rights holders who make a living from producing and distributing films and content on legal services,” she says.

Furthermore, Maria Fredenslund also underlines the importance of the fact that the Danish State Prosecutor for Serious Economic and International Crime has taken action against Danish perpetrators both inside and outside of Europe, which sends an important and clear signal that criminals cannot hide by staying outside of Denmark, just as it is also useless to use cryptocurrency and various foreign shell corporations.

An important milestone in the fight against illegal distribution

DanishBits is estimated by the Danish State Prosecutor for Serious Economic and International Crime to have had 40,000 monthly users, and NordicBits is estimated to have had 5,000 monthly users. Both services have undoubtedly been cardinal points in the distribution of illegal content to Danes, and therefore the shutdown of the two networks is an important milestone in the fight against the distribution and consumption of illegal content in Denmark.

However, the fight does not stop here. No users of the two file-sharing networks have been unaware that they have been involved in the illegal consumption of content. It is clear from the way the content was delivered to the users, that is it was not hidden that the source was unofficial. With their heavy use of illegal content and their willingness to pay for the maintenance of the two file-sharing networks, the users have proven themselves dedicated and should be held accountable for their illegal online behavior.

“Therefore, we are pleased that the press release from the Danish State Prosecutor for Serious Economic and International Crime also reflects the importance of an increased focus on users’ illegal behavior,” explains Maria Fredenslund.